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Bethlehem Steel

Last year when my women's hockey team drove up to Bethlehem to play the Lehigh Valley Wicked, I discovered on arrival that the rink at which we were to play was situated next to a derelict steel mill. The thing was gorgeous in its decay, with tall, rusty tubes and stacks contrasting beautifully with the blue sky, and blasted bricks and gaping windows framing empty innards. I made a mental note to bring the good camera with me next time we came to Bethlehem.

Al, the Beaner, and I actually spent a weekend in Bethlehem over the summer, but we didn't make it to the mill. My team played the Wicked again today, however, and this time I came equipped: I packed the Canon 10D, the little Canon 870IS (which I didn't end up using), a disposable black & white camera, the Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim, the Polaroid One-Step, and the new (well, OLD) Spartus Full-Vue that I received from an eBay seller yesterday.

I ended up having only 5 minutes to shoot before the game (I was one of the last on the ice), and maybe 6 or 7 minutes after (because the light was fading fast), which wasn't nearly enough to satisfy my taste for decay. I could have wandered around for hours if only the chain link fence, the light, and the ambient temperatures had allowed (it was a bitter and windy 30 degrees). This is what I got with the 10D; the Polaroids are downstairs, waiting to be scanned; the Vivitar roll isn't finished yet; and I have no idea if any of the medium-format shots I took with the Spartus will come out. Basically, bringing the cameras just left me hungry for more, and resolved to arrive earlier next time we play the Wicked at home this season.